Food Container Supply Running Low as Everyone is Dabao-ing; Hawkers Now Have to Pay More for Containers

The Covid-19 has taken many things away from us, but it certainly hasn’t dampened our love for good food.

With takeaway and delivery orders rising faster than a netizen’s blood pressure after the closure of bubble tea stores, hawkers are struggling to find enough disposable food containers to keep up.

As you know, dining-in at eateries has been banned during the circuit breaker, leading to a shortage of food containers.

To customers, it probably seems like food stalls have a magically infinite supply of these containers, but they actually have to order it from suppliers.

Since several suppliers have run of stock, many food sellers have had to pay excessive amounts to get their hands on some food containers, reported AsiaOne.

Mr Daniel Tan, the owner of OK Chicken Rice told The New Paper that he had to pay $1,150 for 5000 containers, 35 per cent more than the wholesale price.

And several other food sellers complained of having to pay up to 20 per cent more for containers due to the spike in demand, reported TNP.

But Mr Tan was relieved to get the much-neeeded containers at a time when so many sellers are running out.

Soi 19 Thai Wanton Mee, for instance, said some of its outlets would run out of plastic containers about two days a week and had to resort to packing the food orders in plastic bags.

See, the problem isn’t just a general shortage of food containers. As the owner of Soi 19 Thai Wanton Mee pointed out, even when some containers are available, some sizes and shapes, like square boxes would be sold out.

Despite this, most of the food sellers refused to raise their prices.

Now there’s a level of generosity you don’t usually see.

So we can’t dine-in, and now hawkers are running out of food containers? What the heck do we do?

Fortunately, there’s a very simple solution to this problem.

Reader: Stop eating?

I said simple, not insane.

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Bring Your Own Container

Forget BYOB, BYOC should be the acronym on everyone’s mind during the circuit breaker period.

Bringing your own container not only makes it easier for the stall owners, but it’s also better for the environment.

That’s why some environmentalists are urging customers to bring along their own containers for takeaway orders.

This would not only reduce the demand for food containers, but it’ll also reduce plastic and styrofoam waste.

Environmentally-unfriendly Reader: Meh, the environment can save itself

You’ll also save about 20 cents per purchase.

Environmentally-unfriendly Reader: Ah, now you’re speaking my language

And in addition to saving your own money and the environment, this would also help the hawkers incur lower costs during the circuit breaker.

This is a no-brainer, right? Simply bringing our own food container will benefit us, the hawkers, and the environment.

Reader: Yes, but then I’ll have to wash it afterwards, so I’d rather not.

You never fail to disappoint me, dear reader.

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